


Your Devils & Your Deeds

by likelike_love



Category: In Plain Sight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-19
Updated: 2012-08-19
Packaged: 2017-11-12 11:58:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/490695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likelike_love/pseuds/likelike_love
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written for cobaka_na_cene as a part of the second annual Secret Snowflake event on mary_marshall.livejournal.com.  It was somewhat inspired by Joni Mitchell's A Case of You and based on the following prompts: <i>Mary, Marshall, (or Mary/Marshall), Stan, The Great Wall of China, not in my house, and grenades</i>.</p>
<p><a href="http://mary-marshall.livejournal.com/637581.html">Originally posted</a> on mary_marshall.livejournal.com on December 26, 2011.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Your Devils & Your Deeds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cobaka_na_cene](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=cobaka_na_cene).



> This was written for cobaka_na_cene as a part of the second annual Secret Snowflake event on mary_marshall.livejournal.com. It was somewhat inspired by Joni Mitchell's A Case of You and based on the following prompts: _Mary, Marshall, (or Mary/Marshall), Stan, The Great Wall of China, not in my house, and grenades_.
> 
> [Originally posted](http://mary-marshall.livejournal.com/637581.html) on mary_marshall.livejournal.com on December 26, 2011.

Mary flicked her pencil across the office. Marshall skillfully dodged the projectile, his fingers still flying across the keyboard. "Do you mind?"

"Uh, yeah, I do. C'mon, let's grab dinner. Your pick."

Marshall eyed her curiously.

"What? I'm a very generous person."

Marshall's eyebrows disappeared beyond his hairline.

"Fuck you." Mary rolled her eyes and pulled her jacket from the back of her chair before heading toward the elevator.

"Wait, wait a minute." Marshall was powering down the computer while draining the last few sips of cold coffee from his mug. "I'd love to. There's a Senegalese place out in Rio Rancho I've been meaning to try." He hustled passed the closed door to Stan's office.

Mary snorted loudly as the elevator doors clattered open. "Yeah. Right."

They ended up at The Great Wall again, their usual haunt not far from the office with sticky red vinyl booths and dim lighting. The food was mediocre but the drinks were strong and enormous.

They slid into their usual booth in the back next to the black lacquer dragonfish tri-fold screen. When Alice finally wandered over to their table, Mary waved off the menus, placing an order for some greasy appetizers and a scorpion bowl for four.

The pu pu platter was demolished in short order. Mary slurped the remainder of the cocktail through her footlong fluorescent straw. There was a hint of sadness in his smile as Marshall reached across the table to wipe a smear of spare rib sauce from the side of her mouth. Mary sighed. 

"You wanna talk about it?"

"I really don't," she replied and signaled Alice for another round. She stretched and rested her feet on the bench beside him.

"Okay." He tapped the top of her foot just once.

When Alice brought over another ceramic mixing bowl full of sweetened booze, she took a minute to clear the table. "Anything else?" She smiled at the marshals, exposing two missing teeth.

"Nah," Mary replied. "This'll do it."

"Lemme know if you change your mind." Alice dropped the dishes in a plastic tub before retreating back behind the bar.

"So..." Marshall started.

"So."

"What are we drinking for?"

Mary sighed. "What aren't we?"

Marshall didn't push. Instead he leaned over to the empty booth behind him, snagging a cup of crayons. He settled back in his seat and flipped over the Chinese zodiac placemat and settled the crayons on the table between them.

Mary sucked another sip from the straw and shrugged, turning her placemat over as well.

He snagged a burnt orange crayon before Mary tipped the cup and pawed through the choices, immediately seizing the olive green.

Marshall changed colors frequently as he sketched, left hand flying across the page. Mary used two crayons and gripped them firmly, bearing down heavy swathes of color on the page. Her tongue peaked out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. Eventually the form of a grenade appeared, the pin a glimmering silver stroke across the page.

Marshall took another draw from the drink and watched Mary across the table as she worked. When she looked up to catch him staring at her, his expression thoughtful, she reached down and snatched up her drawing, crumpling the paper.

"What?" she demanded, defensively.

"I hope you don't treat my work that way, young lady. This is going to be worth money someday," he teased as he handed her a painstakingly drawn bouquet of wildflowers. His signature was placed proudly in the lower right hand corner. "We should put it up on the fridge."

She smiled softly. "Not in my house, Picasso."

He cocked his head to the side slightly, waiting for her to continue.

"You ready to go?" she covered.

He searched her eyes for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, just let me pay the check." He hefted himself up from the vinyl seat and made his way to the bar.

Mary stood and reached for her jacket, feeding her arms into the sleeves and shrugging it into place. She took a few steps towards the entrance before turning back. She snagged Marshall's drawing off the table, folding it in half twice before stuffing it into the back pocket of her jeans.

She reached the door and pushed it open, setting the brass bells ringing. Marshall looked up from his spot by the register. 

"Right behind you."

She nodded quickly before heading to the car.


End file.
